Vintage 2016

Lettres de Châteaux
Marie-Stéphane Malbec
ms.malbec@lettres-de-chateaux.com
+33 (0) 5 56 44 63 50
PRESS PACK
Vintage 2016

Contents
THE 2016 VINTAGE IN BORDEAUX
« Bordeaux 2016, a great and generous vintage »....................................... 3 - 4
Château Castera, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc ...................................................... 5
Château Talbot, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Saint-Julien .............................. 6 - 7
Château Paveil de Luze, Cru Bourgeois, Margaux ..........................................8-9
Château Marquis de Terme, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Margaux ................. 10 - 14
Château Belle-Vue, Château de Gironville, Crus Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc
et Château Bolaire, Bordeaux Supérieur ...................................................... 15-16
Château Cantemerle, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Haut-Médoc .................. 17-18
Château Sénéjac, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc ............................................. 19
Château Malleret, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc .......................................... 20
Château Carbonnieux, Grand Cru Classé, Graves ..........................................21-22
Château Chauvin, Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion .................................... 23-26
Château Grand Corbin, Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion ........................... 27
THE 2016 VINTAGE IN SAUTERNES AND BARSAC
« A great vintage, structured, taut, charming »............................................. 28
Château Guiraud, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Sauternes ..............................29-31
THE VINTAGE 2016 IN BERGERAC
Château Monestier La Tour, Bergerac ............................................................ 32
THE VINTAGE 2016 INLANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON
Vignobles Lorgeril, Languedoc-Roussillon ....................................................33-34
Château de Caraguilhes, Corbières ...............................................................35-36
THE VINTAGE 2016 IN BOURGOGNE
«The 2016 Vintage in the Bourgogne wine region : A pleasant surprise ! »... 37-38
Maison Louis Jadot, Bourgogne .................................................................. 39-40
2

Bordeaux 2016,
a great and generous vintage
2016: a year of contrasts, promising a superb vintage
This vintage is characterized by uniform flowering at the origin of good
pollination, substantial lack of rainfall during the summer combined with
abundant sunshine and evenly-occurring veraison. Ripening took place
in bright sunshine with nice ranges in temperature. Finally, the Indian
Summer led to optimal ripeness in each plot and grape variety; harvesting
went very smoothly.
• BORDEAUX DRY WHITES: these very young wines are aromatic and
lively with a tightly-knit structure and lovely freshness. Harvesting for dry
whites began as from September 5th with the Sauvignon grape variety.
• BORDEAUX REDS: the red wines have an intense color, very high
concentration of anthocyanins, a nose of small black berries (blackcurrants,
mulberries, blueberries), powerful and structured length, round, delicate
tannins. Superb wines!
Start of harvesting around September 24th for rosés and reds, on the
earliestripeningterroirs,fortheMerlotgrapevariety.Harvestingcontinued
with cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon, later ripening varieties,
around October 12th. It is worth noting the outstanding quality of the
grapes that had reached perfect ripeness at the time of harvesting.
• BORDEAUX ROSÉS: wines with a clear pink hue, providing nice freshness
on the palate accompanied by sour notes with raspberry, mulberry and
wild strawberry flavors.
• BORDEAUX SEMI-SWEET AND SWEET: wines displaying a very pure
taste with nice concentration and great aromatic freshness. The first
selective successive pickings began mid-September on the earliest-
ripening terroirs, then they became more widespread throughout the
sweet wine appellations. Harvesting: the very first selective successive
pickings began in late September. Harvesting for sweet wines lasted
throughout October.
3

Harvest 2016: 5.8 millions hectolitres (+9% compared to 2015 harvest)
2016: a year with two distinct periods:
• First 6 month: 722.4 mm of rainfall (normal amount: 444.7 mm) / +62%
of rainfall
830 hrs. of sunshine (normal amount: 1017 hrs.) / -18% of sunshine
The first quarter was remarkably rainy. Thanks to the water accrued, it was
possible to confront the summer dry spell.
• July - August - Sept - Oct: 101.1 mm of rainfall (normal amount: 283.5
mm) / -64% of rainfall
975 hrs. of sunshine (normal amount: 840 hrs.) / +16% of sunshine
Cool nights and daytime temperatures 0.5 to 2° higher than usual.
January 2017
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Château Castera
Cru Bourgeois, Haut Médoc
Philippe Grynfelt- Stage Manager
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Castera
2016 VINTAGE
In the memory of winegrowers (or those of them under 50), there is no
reference point for climatic conditions similar to those seen in 2016. For
the others, they would have to search deep in their memories. In fact,
more than 700 mm of rain in the first six months of 2016 created conditions
favourable for the appearance of mildew, which we had to monitor.
Like a miracle, the first sunny intervals coincided with the development
of the flower. As from 19/20 June, the sunny intervals turned into sunny
days, which was rather reassuring. A month of July with neither rain nor
excessive heat offered the vine perfect conditions for regular growth and
harmonious enlargement of the berries.
August, marked by drought and a mini heatwave, provoked a notable
slow down in ripening.
The clay-limestone soils of Castera had built up sufficient water reserves
to allow the vines to cope with this cruel lack of water and, despite the
heat, they looked good.
September brought a little rain as always, with strong rainfall on 13 and 14
September. Such phenomena can sometimes spoil a vintage, but this year
these rains were beneficial. The very long harvest that followed allowed us
to perform sorting which is now very effective, thanks to new generations
of sorting machines.
The excellence of the grape berries encouraged us to oversee rather than
to intervene. There are years when nature is big enough to get by on its
own, and 2016 was one of them.
The wines are now finished and blended, showing aromas of great ripeness
and tannins of reasonable power.
If one plays “She loves me... she loves me not” with exceptional vintages,
the last petal will fall inevitably on “2016, I love it... with all my heart”.
March 2017
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Château Talbot
Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Saint Julien
Christian Hostein - Technical Director
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Talbot
2016, the vintage of the roots
You had to go around the vineyards at the beginning of September, in
our beloved Médoc, to understand the technical choices made over many
years by the different growths! What the eye saw reflected the response
of the vine to the water stress of the 2016 summer but also the problems
of root suffocation caused by the over-generous rainfall of the first half of
2016 (672 mm!).
Traditional care of the vines smoothed out these annual climatic impacts,
already encountered in the past, and allowed the vine to best ripen its
precious fruit: ploughing the soil and destruction of the superficial roots.
Freed in this way from the top few centimetres, the richest and the most
variable in terms of water retention, the roots dig into the gravel to draw
sparingly on the mineral elements the vine needs and just the quantity of
water required.
Our vines presented a well-distributed crop at harvest, with a functional
leaf canopy and interesting analytical characteristics with a polyphenolic
richness that was auspicious and above all extractable.
The old Merlots in particular were surprising: a remarkable bunch length
and well-spaced berries, rich and flavourful. The yields of these old
vines were also surprising and the vats thus filled gave us wines with a
surprising tannic structure for this variety on our terroir. It is probably
during the blending in February that the difference will be made with the
2015 vintage, also successful but marked by the Cabernet Sauvignons.
As for the cabernet sauvignons this year, we knew that there would be a
small quantity, from our feeling and from the inflorescence count: weak
“output”, modest appearance, squat bunches. These comments concern
the quantity. As for the quality, it was not lacking at the start of October,
and the uniformity of the vats of this variety was remarkable! Years ending
in 5 and 6 are often successful in the chronological succession of vintages,
with the difference this year being the quality of the old Merlots.
And the whites: harvested late, here again, because we started on the
afternoon of 19 September and finished on the evening of 21 September:
a perfect state of health for the Sauvignons, good concentration for our
Sémillon parcel, which we were able to take a long way without hornets
or botrytis!
6

Lots of freshness in the musts and exotic aromas on the palate which is
still to be revealed; these wines are still becoming fatter through stirring
of the lees on which they are aged.
Key dates
- technical trials of the picking lines: 29 and 30 September
- large crew of 110 pickers for the Merlots, all week from 3 to 7 October:
dense, flavourful and very healthy Merlots.
- Week of 10 to 15 October: all our efforts centred on the Cabernet Sau-
vignons and we finished on Monday 17 October, exhausted but happy for
the liberating delivery and the promise of the newborn.
- We partied twice during the week: on Wednesday 19 with the departure
of our Portuguese pickers and on Friday 21 with the staff of the property
around a Brazilian barbecue!
Rainfall in 2016
January: 250 mm
February: 153 mm
March: 80 mm
April: 42 mm
May: 72 mm
June: 75mm
Important dates
21 and 22 May: storms, strong showers, high wind, many shoots broken.
30 May: heavy rains on the first flowers of the vine
6 June: mid-flowering at Talbot for the Merlots
8 June: - full flowering of the Merlots, mid-flowering of the Cabernet Sau-
vignons, start of flowering for the Sauvignons
- fine weather, at last
Throughout June: intense battle against mildew
The harvest was played out in mid-June!
July: fine weather, 2nd weed removal under the vines, it’s a winner!
December 2016
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July : 2 mm
August : 13 mm
September : 41 mm (on 14/09 : 35 mm)
Octobrer: 18 mm
November : 85 mm
Décember : still to come, but very low
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Talbot
7

Château Paveil de luze
Cru Bourgeois, Margaux
Edouard de Luze - Owner
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-PaveildeLuze
“2016, the unexpected nice surprise.”
2016 will forever remain engraved in the memory of Château Paveil de
Luze.
Wine would be nothing without a man and his terroir coming together.
One only passes by, but he puts himself at the service of the other, tries
to extract the purest expression from it and to give a second breath to
the vine once it has reached the ripening stage. As for the terroir, it seems
to be eternal, elusive, imperturbable, although it is also subject to the
destiny of nature.
The cycle of the vine does not stop, but it is interrupted by more or less
favourable weather conditions. At Château Paveil de Luze, the 2016
vintage was a nice surprise, almost unexpected.
It all started with a very rainy winter and spring. Mild weather, unusual for
the season, settled over our vineyard and caused very early bud burst. We
feared frost, our eyes riveted to the skies and the thermometer. Given the
climatic conditions, there was very important pressure from mildew until
the middle of July.
In theory, véraison starts around 25 July. For this vintage, it started 15
days late and with a long interval between the first and last berries to turn
colour.
2016, born under a good star
Just when everything seemed to be wrong, uncertain complex... the sun
finally started to shine on our vines. An encouraging sign from the heavens,
that no one had seen coming, with fine weather setting in throughout
August and September. Ideal conditions for catching up, but there was
still much to play for.
By the start of October, the lateness was almost made up for. It only
remained for us to pray that we could harvest this late vintage in good
conditions. And that is what happened!
We were able to pick as and when ripening occurred, by spreading the
harvest over three weeks, a first at Paveil. The last day, the state of health
was absolutely perfect without a single botrytised berry.
8

A superb surprise!
If things started badly, we can now say that the drawn-out summer saved
us and even created the surprise of letting us hope for another great crop.
A crop high in quality but also in quantity, as we were able to make the
yield in both appellations (Margaux and Bordeaux).
Of course it is too soon to judge, but here are out first tasting impressions
of this vintage which will be presented en primeur in early April: The first
tastings show very rich varietal wines with dense expression. Very deep
colours, and the powerful and subtle aromas, will surprise you during the
forthcoming tastings.
Château Paveil de Luze was the last and unfinished vintage of Frédéric
de Luze. He left without being able to see it born, but the entire team at
the property, and all the de Luze family, know that he would have been
very proud of this 2016 vintage. It is up to the vintage now to keep all its
promises and to establish itself over time as one of the great achievements
that this property has produced and hopefully will continue to produce.
A wine without memory is a wine without a future. Out 2016 has a host of
memories before it, which we can’t wait to share with you.
February 2017
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Thevintage2016inBordeaux-PaveildeLuze
9

Château Marquis de terme
Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Margaux
Ludovic David - Technical Director
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-MarquisdeTerme
“We are pleased to produce and vinify natural wines...
and when the rain comes to save us, so much the better!”
One vintage follows another, though they are not always similar. But if
there is one habit in the Bordeaux vineyard, it is that of adapting, year
after year, to strong fluctuations in the climate. 2016 does not depart from
the rule. Marked by strong characteristics, it could be summed up simply
in these few words: rain that soaks, sun that dries and rain that saves! It is
a real nursery rhyme that we have lived through this year in the vineyards
of Château Marquis de Terme.
Very sensitive to water and able to cope with water stress, the vine had to
adapt once again to these strong variations by playing subtly with the rain
and the sun to produce grapes of very high quality.
Each year I ask myself this eternal question: to know if I am going to live
through a vintage identical to a previous year. I always tell myself that it has
started like this one or that one, and then... Crash! The viticultural season
starts and everything changes. Forecasts remain difficult in viticulture; but
that is what makes each vintage unique, strengthening our passion... and
this “vintage effect” that is so sought after in Bordeaux.
Our craft as winegrowers rests in our ability to face up to the vagaries of
nature. Rain, sun, wind, heat and cold set the pace for our decisions and it
is the understanding of our terroirs thanks to long observation that allows
us to pre-empt these phenomena.
Nonetheless, each vintage has its surprises, a secret alchemy between
nature and the vine, that always prevails over our predictions.
Each year, this sum of the parts creates the emotion of a new vintage and
with it the wish to talk about it, telling its story in a few lines.
Initially, and alarmingly, estimated at 28 hl/ha at the start of August, the
yield of the 2016 crop finally reached 47 hl/ha at the end of October. A
forecasting error? Not exactly...
Suffering from a severe drought at the end of summer, the deep vine
roots were able to find water to continue to supply the plant. In fact, the
heavy rains in spring allowed water reserves to be built up and stored in
the water tables, giving the opportunity for the pore water in the soils to
have its effect.
Once again, the vine proved its fabulous power of adaptation and
resistance on the great gravel terroirs of the Médoc.
10

We talk a lot about global warming, but despite the drought and sunshine,
the summer was far from being the hottest recorded in recent decades.
Too often, we classify and certify agriculture, forgetting that nature calls
the shots and, by definition, produces natural grapes.
We work the vines on 60 % of our estate according to methods inspired by
the rules of “organic” farming. These parcels have been selected because
their slopes, exposure to sun and orientation lend themselves to it, yet for
all that, we have not gone for any certification. Why hide behind dogmas
and approvals when we live our vineyard every day, know each of our
parcels and the needs of our environment?
We have never been so respectful of our soils as in recent years. The
excesses seen from 1970 to 2000 are far behind us. The technology of
the tractors and protection of personnel have never been so effective.
Together we are defending a “clean and healthy” future.
This ecological culture of our vineyard leads us to adopt a multi-faceted
policy that includes, among others: withdrawal of herbicides, sexual
confusion (withdrawal of insecticides), regular replanting of trees and
hedges, the use of biodegradable ties and clips and the permanent search
for any technique that allows us to work with respect for the environment.
At the same time, for some years now, the Margaux appellation has
developed a complete programme of analysis of biodiversity, to do
everything possible to protect and also develop the local flora and fauna.
Château Marquis de Terme is fully involved in this initiative.
Today, our viticultural approach allows us to produce natural wines. A
planting area naturally adapted to the terroirs, the slopes, the wind and
the sun; natural yeasts to aid fermentation of the wines; ageing in natural
French oak barrels... all these elements contribute to the whole of our
product and its harmony. What could be more natural than grapes, yeasts
coming from the terroir, wood and a little sulphur to stabilise the wines?
We know that sulphur is found in its native state in the ground, near to
volcanoes in particular. After carbon, it is certainly one of the best-known
chemical elements since antiquity, because it was used to purify places
infested by vermin and to bleach fabrics. Its antiseptic and dermatological
action has long been known and can legitimately be transposed to the
stabilisation of our wines, to avoid them turning into vinegar. Finally, the
use of heat or cold has become one of our vinification techniques, to
obtain improved organoleptic precision.
11

On reflection, I see only products that are natural by definition! So Yes...
with our teams we are pleased to produce and vinify natural wines!
Wine is not a product that exists in its raw state in nature; it is fashioned
by man who creates it with his personality and his taste. This emotion
given to the wine undeniably contributes to its richness, its style, it is what
defines the unique character of each cuvée. Since antiquity and thanks to
his understanding of nature, man has been able to produce great wines
and select the finest terroirs.
The 2016 vintage was marked by an exceptionally mild winter, with
average temperatures 1.9°C higher than the 2000-2016 average between
1 November 2015 and 28 February 2016. Rainfall was extremely heavy
between January and February (200 mm more than the thirty-year
average).
For this reason, the first signs of bud burst were already visible at the end
of February. This premature and worrying resumption of vegetative activity
(with the risk of frost) was tempered by the fall in average temperatures.
In March, growth was slowed down by low temperatures combined with
large quantities of water present in the soils, compensating for the lead
taken by the bud burst and forcing the vine to fall behind until the end of
June.
This did not prevent flowering starting on 6 June and reaching its peak
in most sectors as from 13 June; thanks to a window of fine weather and
high average temperatures (above 20°C).
The wet and mild spring conditions encouraged the development of
mildew, identified at times on the leaves and also, though more rarely,
on the bunches. The pressure on health was maintained until véraison, by
which stage the berries are no longer sensitive.
In 4 months, we had more than half the annual rainfall (from January to
May, 450 mm). And as from the end of June, the vintage changed profile
radically, with dry weather setting in and leading to signs of water stress
in our young vines, not deeply rooted, and in our Cabernet Sauvignon
planted on highly filtering soils made up of sandy gravels.
The first coloured berries were not seen until 1 August. The vine had not
made up the 15 days of delay and this already led us to envisage a late
harvest. The summer temperatures were normal until mid-August, then an
Indian summer set in peacefully until mid-November.
12

However, in August the situation had become difficult. The lack of rain
having provoked major water stress in the vineyard, we saw blocked
ripening of the grapes and some defoliation in the young vines, preventing
the enlargement of the berries. On returning from our holidays, we were
very worried to note that the Cabernet Sauvignon berries were very small
through lack of water. We measured very low berry weights of 0.4 grams,
knowing that the normal weight for Cabernet is around 1 gram and 1.3
grams for Merlot. After all the efforts we made, we were heading towards
a very small harvest similar to 2011, which would have increased the
frustration of our teams.
On 13 September, 50 mm of saving rain gave back volume to the Cabernet
Sauvignon berries and a smile to our vineyard team. In a certain way, this
rain saved the vintage. It reactivated the vine to allow the final ripening
phase and at the same time guaranteed a satisfactory yield for the
property.
Our first Merlots were harvested on 29 September and then, after pausing
for a few days, we continued picking calmly, according to the progress of
ripening. The Petit Verdot was harvested on 13 October and the Cabernet
Sauvignon from 14 to 21 October.
The harvest took place smoothly, notably thanks to the continued fine
weather. Each parcel could therefore be caught at the right moment,
without pressure from the health of the grapes influencing the choice of
dates for picking.
“A harvest as we like it, after a difficult growing season where we were
fighting against the elements. It was these same elements that helped us
pick a superb 2016, the results of which we will see in our glasses,” says
David HOUDET, vineyard manager.
Like 2005, 2009, 2010 or 2015, the 2016 harvest benefited from the Indian
summer that characterises the finest years for Bordeaux wines.
A great new vintage is taking shape before our eyes.
In the cellar, the vinification was based on a group of choices that we have
implemented with the technical team.
A choice of tanks adapted to working with the parcels, both to optimise
the gentle extraction of tannins and to preserve the integrity of the grape
skins during punching down operations. Borrowed from Burgundy a long
time ago, we are now developing this technique because it is gentle and
precise, just like the style of wines we want to produce.
13

The renovation of our vat room now allows us a wide choice of
complementary techniques. Conical vats of 45 to 140 hl in oak, stainless-
steel and concrete allow for the greatest possible selection. We have also
developed vinification in small oak containers (390 litres) to rediscover
the advantages of making the wine in barrel, where grape and oak come
together in a subtle way.
For Julien Brahmi, cellar master: “We were very attentive to the skin-to-
juice ratios and the balance of each tank. We worked with much more
severe selection of press wines than in the past, to improve still further
the possible blends”. The tannins were so silky and delicate that the
maceration was extended to 5 weeks for a large part of the crop. For
Julien Brahmi, “A large and fine palette of colours is now available, to
create another great vintage.”
At Château Marquis de Terme, we look for balance between nature and the
wines we make, so as to excite our emotions and those of the consumers
who taste them. We want our wines to be appreciated through discovery
of our great terroirs, which is what guides our work as well as our daily
investment.
The 2016 vintage of Château Marquis de Terme is fruity, with notes of
blackcurrant and blackberry. The tannins are elegant, velvety and the
freshness gives much finesse and delicacy on the palate. Barrel ageing
contributes to building the long, complex finish.
In the history of Bordeaux vintages, we often refer to duos: 1982/1983,
1989/1990, 2000/2001 and the famous 2009/2010… Today and above all
tomorrow we must add 2015/2016 and continue to appreciate this new
great duo for a long time.
Together, let us share the love of great wines. Wishing everyone an
excellent tasting!
March 2016
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Château Belle-Vue &
Château de Gironville
Crus Bourgeois, Haut Médoc
Château Bolaire, Bordeaux Supérieur
Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen, Consultant
A vintage of contrasts and emotions
This 2016 vintage provoked very strong and contrasting emotions, from
dismay through to overwhelming enthusiasm! A chaotic start to the
vineyard season, idyllic conditions from July to October, 2016 was truly a
vintage of contrasts and emotions.
Contrasts in the weather
The very wet conditions from March to June characterised the start of the
2016 vintage. With alternating rain and cold spells, and frost - fortunately
very localised - on 7-8 and 29 April, the start of the season brought
us out in a cold sweat. Rain means very strong pressure from mildew
and substantial weed growth. Knowing how to anticipate windows of
opportunity for working in the best way, and demonstrating efficiency
were the watchwords for maintaining our vineyard in the best state of
health.
Very luckily, a period of good weather allowed the vine to flower under
good conditions, avoiding poor fruit set and uneven ripening. We then
observed the appearance of numerous berries.
As from June, weather conditions set in that were drastically different
from those of the preceding months, with fine days accompanied by
exceptionally low rainfall. The cool nights allowed our vines to rest, and
not to suffer too much from this new water stress.
Wood hardening took place very early, as from the end of July. The
sunshine accompanied by strong temperature variations saw the quick
disappearance of vegetal aromas and the consequent synthesis of fresh
fruit aromas and polyphenols. The acidity remained at a very interesting
level and the sugar content increased only slowly, leading us to predict
the balance of a great Bordeaux vintage.
In parallel, the grape berries remained minuscule, allowing us to expect
very interesting levels of concentration.
We sensed, nevertheless, a certain weariness in our vines at the beginning
of September. The ripening phenomena seemed to slow down, a certain
sign of a lack of water.
On 13 September, by a miracle, a storm covered the whole of the Gironde
with a uniform rainfall of 33 mm, just the level that we had dreamt of!
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Belle-Vue,Gironville,Bolaire
15

The grape skins, which had still been a bit tense, with tight tannins, could
then continue their ripening to reach perfect levels.
A dream harvest
Spread out from 3 to 22 October, the 2016 harvest allowed us to pick
each parcel with surgical precision. Our Merlots were picked from 3 to
8 October, to express their intense and complex fresh fruit character.
We then waited until 14 October to pick our Cabernet Sauvignons, with
ideal balance between velvety tannins and aromatic power. Our Petit
Verdots, exceptional once again, came to elegant ripeness between 15
and 22 October. This variety was so extraordinary this year that we have
decided to create a 100% Petit Verdot cuvée, coming from our very old
vines planted in 1936, 1940 and 1950. Partly aged in clay jars, a link to the
original terroir made up of more than 60% clay, the Petit Verdot expresses
all the complexity of the variety: white flowers, spices, violet and Morello
cherry.
Despite their minuscule size, the many berries present on the bunches
allowed us to achieve generous volumes, the sign of a great, classic
Bordeaux vintage such as 1990, 2000 and 2010.
Fine, balanced wines
The extremely contrasted climate in 2016 gave us fine grapes, and with a
precise and adapted vinification, favouring the freshness of the fruit and
a dense and balanced tannic framework, we were able to exalt them. The
pH is low, bringing both drinkability and ageing potential, and the alcohol
levels are restrained.
Freshness, density and velvety character, open and complex aromas,
these descriptions characterise great Bordeaux vintages, with one key
word: balance!
On tasting, our wines make us forget all the emotions felt during the
course of this vintage of contrasts, and create new emotions, still more
intense. It will be a great pleasure to let you discover them soon!
February 2017
http://www.chateau-belle-vue.com/fr
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Belle-Vue,Gironville,Bolaire
16

Château Cantemerle
Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Haut Médoc
Philippe Dambrine - Director
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Cantemerle
2016, a miracle year?
The least that can be said is that the different periods during the 2016
season were contrasting.
First of all came the uninterrupted rain that was with us for the first six
months of the year, with the equivalent of a full year’s rainfall. In April and
May, major steps in the development of the vegetation, it was necessary
to control the vigour of the vines, driven crazy by the volume of water,
and at the same time prevent mildew and its partners in crime from taking
possession of the future crop.
A first window of fine weather really opened up at the beginning of June,
giving ideal conditions for flowering and bunch development.
In July, a heatwave of short duration swept over the vineyard and was
followed by a long period of drought. The vines complained about this
lack of water, with the leaves sometimes curling up to limit the evaporation
of their reserves. This led to relatively slow véraison at the end of August.
A short period of rain mid-September then revived the ripening of the
berries. Finally, a superb Indian summer, with alternating cool nights and
sunny days, took hold in the autumn and lasted to the end of the harvest,
which was certainly the longest that we have known in recent years. As
each day passed, it was amusing to see the increasingly broad smiles on
the faces of our neighbours, as we passed them morning and evening on
the road in the Médoc...
In the cellar, after several days of fermentation, it was a symphony of
perfumes that celebrated the arrival of newly picked grapes. The richness
of the must, without being excessive, gradually gave way to record
concentrations of phenolic compounds. Tasting of the free-run wines
at the end of fermentation confirmed the laboratory analysis. We were
taking part in the birth of a great wine.
17

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Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Cantemerle
The 2016 vintage at CANTEMERLE
The vineyard cycle
Bud burst: from 24 to 31 March
Flowering: from 29 May to 6 June
Start of fruit set - Closure of the bunch: from 14 June to 18 July
Mid véraison: from 10 to 17 August
Harvest: from 22 September to 17
October

Technical details
Harvest: by hand, with sorting
Destemming: total
Sorting after destemming: by machine, then by hand on the sorting table
Types of tank: conical in oak, cylindrical in stainless-steel, cube-shaped in
cement
Ageing: 16 months of which 12 months in barrels and 4 months in tank
before final blending. French oak barrels, medium toast, of which 40 %
new, 40 % of 1 wine and 20 % of 2 wines.
Fining: very light filtration before bottling.
Château Cantemerle 2016 blend
52% cabernet sauvignon
39% merlot
5% cabernet franc
4% petit verdot
March 2017
18

Château Sénéjac
Damien Hostein - Technical Director
We left each other at the same time last year with a question: would
the 2016 vintage be as good as the 2015?
And it is! And I would even say that at Sénéjac, the 2016 is slightly more
powerful and intense than the previous vintage, which will surely place it
a notch above at the end of its ageing.
If we finished the harvest and the year with a smile, this was not necessarily
the case all through the season. In fact the first six months of the year
were extremely rainy, vigilance was needed to “guide” the vineyard and
bring healthy grapes to the start of the summer! It was at this moment
that the weather turned...
If we had a fine July the year before, this year we had July and August! A
surface drought set in and we only had to wait for the optimal ripeness.
Even the storm of 40 mm on 13 September bore fruit, it wasn’t water that
fell but wine!
We started the harvest on 3 October with the “Merlot plants”, and finished
the last old Merlots on 11 October. We continued by picking the cabernet
francs and then sauvignons, to finish on 19 October. We did a day of petit
verdot picking on 15 October.
In 2016 at Sénéjac, the merlots are of a very high level, rarely seen by me...
On the eve of the last day of the year, the Sénéjac 2016 was blended, the
new barrels filled in their recently renovated chai, and we were already
starting to prepare for the next vintage...
A few figures
January : 258,5 mm
February : 161,5 mm
March: 97,5 mm
April : 56 mm
May : 84 mm
June : 85 mm
January 2017
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July: 10,5 mm
August : 10 mm
September : 43,5 mm
October : 14 mm
November : 95,5 mm
December : 17,5 mm (pending)
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Sénéjac
19

Château de Malleret
Aymar du Vivier - Communications
Consultant
The vintage 2016
The first six months of 2016 were characterised by record rainfall: 600 to
700 mm, or twice as much as normal. These exceptional climatic conditions
caused a mildew attack at the end of May and beginning of June. Malle-
ret’s vineyard team (Cyril Nadalini and Christophe Vignaud) controlled it.
We then saw a welcome change and at the end of June the fine weather
set in: blue skies, pleasant temperatures, cool nights. The same conditions
in July and August, with not a drop of water. The water stress, attenuated
by the strong rains at the start of the year, appeared at the end of August
and beginning of September, especially on the filtering soils. Luckily, on
Malleret’s plateau of Günzian gravel, we have a thin layer of clay, beneath
a three-metre thickness of the gravel. The phenomenon was again alle-
viated. Also, we decided to perform the green harvest in August rather
than July, to give uniform ripening.
Then a divine blessing: the heavens sent us forty millimetres of water on
13 and 14 September, exactly what we needed. And the fine weather re-
turned immediately after, lasting until the end of the harvest. We started
picking on 3 October with the merlots, then the petit verdots, and brought
in the last bunches of Cabernet Sauvignon on 22 October. Hand picking,
small crates, sorting tables, cool nights that develop the aromas and, with
these ideal climatic conditions, the opportunity to harvest each parcel at
optimum ripeness.
For us, a very great vintage, as good if not better than the 2015, and with
the 2014, three good vintages in a row, our first three with the expertise
of Stéphane Derenoncourt and his team.
December 2016
CHATEAU de MALLERET
Haut-Médoc
G
R
A N D
V I N D E B O R D E A U
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Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Malleret
20

Château Carbonnieux
Cru Classé de Graves
Eric et Philibert Perrin - Owners
2016, a nice surprise!

One year follows another, but they’re never the same.
If 2015 saw a sunny spring and a cool summer, the weather was the
complete opposite in 2016. The rainy spring with cool temperatures was
followed by an exceptionally dry, hot and sun-drenched summer. While the
yields in 2015 were modest, some heavily laden vines had to be lightened
in 2016.
By good luck, the flowering in Pessac-Léognan took place in good, dry
weather and the summer temperatures remained reasonable despite
everything. Thanks to water reserves in the sub-soil, the vine did not suffer
from this long absence of rain.
Harvest started on 5 September with the Sauvignon Blancs, a perfectly
normal date, with the vines showing an exceptionally good state of health
thanks to the dry summer. The whites were picked rather quickly, because
the criteria for ripeness were completely satisfactory, while the reds could
be more spread out over time, to take advantage of the generous sunshine
of early autumn. In the end, the 2016 harvest lasted nearly seven weeks
with several days’ break here and there. Between the end of picking the
whites and the start of the reds, night-time rains came twice, plumping up
certain berries that had remained small.
A word from Philibert Perrin: “For the whites, the cool nights maintained
the precious aromatic balance, typical and so coveted of Pessac-
Léognan wines. The major asset of this vintage will certainly be the good
concentration of the grapes, which should reveal some very nice textures
and deep colours in the red varieties.”
A word from Eric Perrin: “2016 makes me think of the 1996 vintage, which
gave wines of magnificent quality, for the reds as for the whites, and which
was also generous in quantity.”
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Carbonnieux
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News in 2016
Denis Dubourdieu passed away in the summer of 2016.
Very sad news for the world of wine. After 28 years working together, we
are sure that he will keep a benevolent eye on the Carbonnieux vineyard
thanks to the care and attention of Christophe Ollivier, his associate, with
whom we have already been working for many years.
Innovations in 2016
• A third state-of-the-art press under inert gas (INERTYS).
• Restyling of the grape reception cellar.
• A new website www.carbonnieux.com with a space reserved for
merchants.
• Continuation of new pruning methods to better respect the sap flow.
• Continued involvement with the environmental management system,
certified ISO14001. In pursuit of constant improvement in environmental
and safety matters.
• Enlargement of our organic parcel.
December 2016
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Carbonnieux
22

Château Chauvin
Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion
Sylvie Cazes - Owner
Thevintage2016inBordeaux-Chauvin
2016: the adventure of a miraculous vintage!
Nature led this vintage with a deft hand, with initial doubts giving way
to the evidence: 2016 is a vintage exalted by capricious but generous
weather in Bordeaux.
The different studies carried out by our technical director since 2014 (soil-
pit studies, soil resistivity studies, mapping of the vigour using drones and
GreenSeeker...) allowed us to adapt the work in the vineyard, to pilot the
harvest, and to refine the vinification by micro-parcel.
A late but regular vegetative cycle
The weather at the start of this 2016 vintage was characterised by the
mild temperatures and high rainfall in the winter period. These conditions
can encourage the development of certain parasites and we needed to be
extremely vigilant all through the vegetative cycle.
After this mild winter, bud burst was early and uniform.
The wet conditions continued through spring with a historically rainy
season; we recorded 90 mm more rain compared with the seasonal norms
from February to April. The temperatures being significantly lower than
average, the vine fell behind in its cycle but its development remained
very uniform.
Before flowering, conditions were still cool and wet, not very favourable
for photosynthesis. We were however spared the frost that affected some
neighbouring appellations.
At this stage, there was still much to do: there was latent anxiety and we
didn’t know how to judge the vintage.
Rainfall
October: 52 mm
November: 52 mm
December: 13 mm
January: 198 mm
February: 138 mm
March: 80 mm
April: 86 mm
May: 67 mm
June: 75 mm
July: 2 mm
August: 11 mm
September: 35 mm
October: 18 mm
23

To our great relief, a favourable window in the weather at the start of June
allowed for a very good and still very uniform flowering: full flowering on
4 June for the Merlot, 15 June for the Cabernet Franc and 23 June for the
Cabernet Sauvignon.
The temperatures in July, close to the multi-year average, did not make
up for the delay built up in the spring, and véraison started late at the
beginning of August. Pressure from grape berry moths was controlled
thanks to sexual confusion and the special attention from our team who
regularly checked the quality of the berries.
In August, the profile of the vintage changed radically and strong sunshine
set in, accompanied by a major water shortage. After the deluge at the
start of the year, these conditions at first seemed unexpected: the vines
tolerated the start of the drought thanks to their water reserves, but
excessive water stress risked blocking the ripening of the berries.
The terroir at Chauvin came into play. The clay present at a depth of
one metre maintains a high-quality, moderate water stress and a certain
freshness, allowing for excellent ripening of the skins.
Véraison was slow and spread out over several weeks in a context of
water deficit, encouraging a thickening of the skins and a build-up of
polyphenols to give good concentration. By 31 August the véraison of all
the grape varieties was complete; it had started on 5 August!
The hot nights in August became cooler as from September, with an almost
complete absence of summer storms. This temperature variation between
night and day favours richness of polyphenols in the berries.
After the drought in August, the light, life-saving rains mid September
gave back some momentum to the ripening, without however diluting the
content of the berry: a good acid / alcohol balance was thus restored, with
potential alcohol levels of around 14 % and a good aromatic potential.
The vintage remained late, but the magnificent month of October allowed
us to wait for perfect ripening of the berries.
Between daily tasting of the berries and analysis of the maturity, the good
weather allowed us to commence the harvest with complete calmness,
with optimal potential in tannins and anthocyans, and good extractability.
A historic harvest
Picking was into small-sized crates and started with the Merlot, from 6 to
17 October. The Cabernet Franc was then picked on 17 and 18 October,
and finally the Cabernet Sauvignon on 20 October. These dates are historic
for the property: the harvest is among the longest and latest at Château
Chauvin, under exceptional conditions!
24

Vinification with respect for the raw material
The grapes picked were extremely healthy. The meticulous sorting in the
vineyard, followed by sorting in the cellar first by density and then again
by hand, selected the best fruit: only perfectly ripe and non-withered
berries went into the tank.
The crop was first put in a cold room to facilitate the cold soaking in
tank, which lasts for 5 days at between 5 and 8°C, to extract the best
components of the skins. Extraction was gentle and easy, given the high
initial potential, and was monitored with daily tastings.
The fermentations lasted around ten days, reaching about 28°C for the
final hot maceration.
Once the alcoholic fermentation was finished, the malolactic took place in
barrel for two-thirds of the volume, for better integration of the wood in
the wine.
Ageing is in French oak barrels, of which 60% are new, a percentage
adapted to the quality and potential of the vintage.
Fashioned under extreme conditions, 2016 promises to be a historic
vintage, but it is above all a source of very great pride for us and our
teams. It was a vintage marked by the climate, enhanced by the terroir of
Chauvin, and unique for its unusual temperatures and water levels.
It is the proof that nothing is ever decided in advance!
2016 : tasting
On tasting, Château Chauvin 2016 is characterised by an intense colour,
a distinguished nose that reveals nice fruit on aeration, indicating good
ripeness. On the palate, the attack reveals good concentration and great
complexity, carried by an elegant and silky tannic structure. Its freshness
and its tautness are remarkable. A great vintage, with a very good ageing
potential.
Folie de Chauvin 2016 is firstly more immediate, and gives a good insight
on this great vintage: an indulgent nose, generous fruit on the palate,
wrapped in tannins of great finesse.
For the third year, the new visual identity of the property illustrates the
bottles of Château Chauvin. We have drawn this new label from the
history of the Château, inspired by a label from 1929 and decorated with
an allegory of attachment to its land, reflecting the meaning of the word
“Chauvin”. Cupid, the god of Love, proudly displays a banner representing
the emblematic lion of Saint-Emilion, the land that he watches over with a
benevolent gaze.
25

Folie de Chauvin, the second wine created by Sylvie Cazes in 2014, also
finds its origins in the roots of the property and plays on the double
meaning of the word “folly”.
Folly is first of all the country house that Victor Ondet acquired with the
vineyard of Chauvin at the end of the 19th century, and which he dedicated
to hospitality, sharing and conviviality.
Folly also expresses the madness of passion: it is a wine whose charm is
seductive in an irresistible way.
On the label, we find Cupid and his lion, the symbol of the property.
March 2017
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Château Grand Corbin
Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion
Antoine Couthures - Stage Manager
2016: A vintage with everything in excess
It was after a mild winter, but with our feet in the water, that we started this
new season. In fact, exceptionally high cumulated rainfall was recorded in
the spring. Access to the vineyard by tractor even became impossible for
several weeks. A good start!
With frequent precipitation, it was again the rain that set our calendar
until mid-June. We were working under difficult conditions, favourable for
mildew, requiring extreme vigilance in the vineyard.
Preventive measures such as early leaf removal on both sides, opening
up the fruiting zone and maintenance of the grass cover allowed us to
contain the pressure.
Unexpectedly, the sun finally chased away the clouds as from 20 June.
Determined to set in for the long term, it remained throughout the summer
period, which was without a single drop of rain!
With these sunny conditions, ripening took place in a perfectly uniform
way.
Hand picking started slowly but very surely at the beginning of October,
under optimal conditions. The fruit was rich and abundant.
In the cellar, the grapes very quickly revealed all the power of this
exceptional vintage! 2016 will be unforgettable.
March 2017
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Thevintage2016inBordeaux-GrandCorbin
27

A great vintage, structured, taut, charming
On Wednesday 15 March, most of the owners and technical managers of
the Crus Classés de Sauternes et Barsac met at Château Guiraud for the
traditional internal tasting of the new vintage.
A chance for everyone to unveil this vintage, expressed in many different
ways depending on the terroirs and the people who made it...
It is always a contemplative moment, important, with a little bit of sus-
pense... Particularly this year with the not-so-simple 2016 ... (supposing
that the word “simple” could ever be applied to Sauternes, to the nature
of its wines or to their production).
So it was a joyful and proud moment to discover a remarkably uniform en-
semble, with structured, taut and precise wines marked by very attractive
fruit and floral notes giving much charm. The wines are already expres-
sive, lively, with a good dynamic...
The palette is very varied, each property has its identity, one can reco-
gnise the styles of the different parts of Sauternes, it is a beautiful journey
through the heart of nature, that of terroirs and that of men.
Things didn’t start well, however, with very contrasting weather marked
by an appalling spring (with, thank God, a respite in early June at the mo-
ment of flowering) and an exceptionally dry summer.
The harvest was spread out between the third week of September and
the second week of November, with 4 passes on average. As from 10
October, the pace accelerated with the faster development of an ideal
botrytis, of a great purity that will mark the heart of the vintage.
Rain came on 23 October, when many had finished; the few estates picking
after this episode (quickly forgotten thanks to a constant and welcome
wind) were nevertheless surprised by the quality of this final batch, which
in many cases will be part of the blend for the grand vin.
The blend of all these passes, and of botrytis picked at different stages of
ripeness, is very interesting.
2016 is undoubtedly one of the great vintages; both imposing and lively, it
is graced with good balance. Even if we know that its structure is cut out
for long and fine ageing, it is already difficult to resist its charming fruit
and its open and accessible nature...
February 2017
28
Thevintage2016inSauternesandBarsac

Château Guiraud
Grand Cru Classé en 1855, Sauternes
Xavier Planty - Director
The 2016 vintage stands out for its exceptional character, which required
very special attention without leaving a moment’s respite for the team at
the property.
Luc Planty, vineyard manager, recounts the various twists and turns in the
vineyard that influenced the quality and quantity of the 2016 crop.
December-February
The vines were pruned during a very mild winter by the property’s staff,
trained each year in this exercise to continually improve, understand and
respect the vineyard.
March-April
At the middle of March, the winter dormancy of the vine ended very early.
The temperature was low and rainfall high. A large part of the vineyard
escaped the late frost.
Around 10 April, the resumption of root activity saw the sap rising and the
first leaves appeared joyously on the vines.
Château Guiraud began its 6th vintage certified in Organic Agriculture.
Beyond this organic certification, environmental practices developed at
the property protected the vine during this unusual spring. The application
of liquid compost, to complement the herbal infusions and liquid manure,
clearly strengthened the plants.
May-June
It didn’t stop raining. At the beginning of June we had recorded as much
rain, give or take a few millimetres, as in the whole of 2015. Against all
expectations, nature came to our rescue. Flowering took place between
6 and 15 June. The flowers blossomed in dry and sunny weather, with a
temperature of between 18°C and 22°C. The vine shoots grew as they
pleased.
July
The rain came back after flowering, stopping on 11 July and not returning
until September. At this stage, the pressure from disease was zero, climatic
damage was minimal, and all the signs were for a good harvest. Compared
with previous vintages, we observed a constant reduction in the frequency
of vineyard treatments, and a reduction in the quantity of copper used.
The preventive measures taken at the beginning of the season allowed us
to escape unscathed from this very unusual start to the year.
Thevintage2016inSauternesandBarsac-Guiraud
29

August-September
The water reserves built up during the spring allowed the grapes to ripen
magnificently. 2016 promised to be a vintage based on excellence.
Harvest time
Bordeaux Blanc sec, Le G de Château Guiraud
On 6 September, 30 grape pickers quietly started the manual harvest of
perfectly ripe berries.
Between 7 and 22 September, there were 90 pairs of secateurs at work
during 8 days of picking. The conditions were optimal, though always with
an eye on the weather forecast which announced the risk of storms from
time to time. Luckily they passed us by.
Sauternes, Château Guiraud, 1er Grand Cru Classé en 1855 and Petit
Guiraud
On22and23September,themicroclimatefavourableforthedevelopment
of noble rot set in late. With the sun coming out during the morning,
the mist disappeared giving way to hot temperatures that dried and
concentrated the grapes. Picking started on 22 September in a uniform
and perfectly healthy vineyard. More than 150 pickers busied themselves
with the 1st pass to clean the property. It was starting in earnest and the
team was keeping watch.
On 29 and 30 September, the cleaning started again with the 2nd pass
one week later. Fine, small volumes were picked. The vineyard was on “re-
set”, and the Botrytis cinerea could set in slowly, in a uniform manner. The
cleaning operations gave the way for new noble rot, which would give the
wines their traditional aromatic sharpness and spicy sweetness.
On 11, 12 and 13 October, the rhythm of the harvest took off with the
3rd
pass. The noble rot developed with a rare purity. The vintage promised
to be scintillating.
From 17 to 22 October, the tempo picked up with the 4th pass. The
weather was idyllic. The crates were filled with fine noble berries, roasted
and very fresh. It was probably the most important pass of this vintage.
The team picked with great ease and at a sustained pace. By then, 97% of
the crop was in our hands. In the cellar, everything remained to be done.
30

On 23 October, the rain gauge showed 15 mm. We were very happy that
the harvest was almost finished.
On 27, 28 and 29 October, after the rain, a good breeze dried out
the grapes, and the 5th and final pass allowed us to pick the remaining few
grapes.
Our first impressions, a treat for the taste buds
On 8 December, the first tastings of our Sauternes confirmed our
impressions. Each batch offered big surprises! Blending will result in a very
great Château Guiraud, extolling above all the signature of the property:
“Freshness with tension”. Without any doubt, 2016 will be an exceptional
vintage.
Key figures
Area harvested: 95.32 ha (G de Château Guiraud: 29.46 ha - Sauternes:
65.86 ha)
Harvest days: 23.5 days (G de Château Guiraud: 8 days - Sauternes: 15.5
days)
In other words, 13 763 hours worked with an average of 90 seasonal
workers per day.
January 2016
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31

Château Monestier la Tour
Bergerac
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele - Owner
Could you summarise in a few lines the cycle of the vine in 2016?
Rainy spring until 23 June, the worst happened from 15 to 23 June with
intense rainfall of 40 to 50 mm per day.
As from July, a very dry summer with storms on 13 September, providing
water to swell the bunches.
The strong and difficult points ?
Strong point: the hot and dry summer
Difficult point: positioning the treatments was difficult, we were up against
capricious weather and continuous rain
The dates and progress of the harvest
Harvest of the whites: sauvignon on 21/09/16, rosé on 26/09/16, sémillon
and muscadelle on 28/09/16. Harvesting was by night, to keep the
freshness and the aromas.
Harvest of the reds: merlot, cabernet franc and malbec on 06/10/16
and cabernet sauvignon on 7/10/16. Exceptional climatic conditions,
harvesting at ripeness. Good uniformity of bunches.
What are the characteristics of this year ?
A late year, demanding but of good quality, a very nice surprise.
In your opinion, what will be the special character of 2016 ?
For the whites: wines with great aromatic intensity and citrus fruit flavours
For the reds: deep colour, very good fruit with supple tannins for the
Bergerac and more structured for the grand vin.
No defect, we will make what we wanted to!
With which other vintage would you compare the 2016?
The vintage is comparable to 2005 and 2010
And a few lines on the 2016 :
The climatic complications, despite everything, allowed us to produce
an exceptional vintage. For a vineyard in the middle of conversion to
biodynamic farming, 2016 could be described as the vintage of all the
challenges - but with a happy ending...
December 2016
Thevintage2016inBergerac-MonestierlaTour
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Vignobles Lorgeril
Languedoc-Roussillon
Nicolas de Lorgeril - Owner
History of the exciting, long and finally very good year of
2016...
“In 30 years, I have never known a year with so many rebounds… for a
final result of exceptional quality!” says Nicolas de Lorgeril.
The vineyards of the Languedoc were, like others, marked by an unstable
spring bringing damage from frost and hail, but also building up good
water reserves.
In July, the water supply remained satisfactory on our high slopes, thanks
to generous and regular rainfall; the very good state of health of the
vineyard led us to hope for a good, balanced crop.
Summer was very hot and dry, but 6 weeks behind normal. The heatwave
started in mid August and it was very hot for a very long time, in absolute
terms but above all with respect to the progress of the ripening cycle.
Swelling of the berries stopped and the sugar levels quickly concentrated,
resulting by the end of August in small grapes containing sugar levels that
were of concern because of the potential alcohol levels they suggested.
Two good storms reversed the trend in the first week of September,
bringing the berries back into balance and bringing cool weather that
allowed the coolest and latest zones to resume their slow and balanced
ripening; these are the preferred zones in our estates, all planted at
altitude or with a current of cool air, a key thread for us. Harvest started
on the usual dates (28 September - 17 October for the reds), with fully
ripened grapes, flavourful and fleshy on tasting.
The small size of the berries resulted in a “small crop”
• - 20% in the west Languedoc: Cabardès at château de Pennautier,
Minervois et La Livinière, at Domaine de la Borie Blanche
• - 10% elsewhere: Faugères, Saint-Chinian at château de Ciffre, Coteaux
du Languedoc and Roussillon at Mas des Montagnes.
Thevintage2016inLanguedoc-Roussillon-Lorgeril
33

The fear of unbalanced concentration because of the small size of the
grapes was offset by modified fermentations: favouring the extraction of
aromas at low temperature, before starting the fermentations, we worked
gently and with little extraction, for a shorter time than in other years.
Extraction thus took place naturally and slowly and we had the joy of
discovering a particularly fruit-driven vintage, full, supple and long on the
palate. The wines “made themselves”, without effort...
In brief, Nature rewarded us for our fears and our patience, doing all the
work itself in the 2016 vintage.
Bernard Durand, technical director of the estates, indicates that “the Bor-
deaux grape varieties that benefited from the spring rains achieved a level
of anthocyans and IPT higher than in previous years, lower MP levels (non-
astringent tannins) and acid balance close to that of 2010/2011: pH not
too high and a correct level of malic acid. On another note, the quality of
the leaf canopy allowed the Syrah to ripen fully.”
This was therefore a very great vintage for the cool zones of the Langue-
doc and for Roussillon Village at altitude. The chosen zones of Maison
Lorgeril.
December 2016
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34

Château de Caraguilhes
Corbières
Etienne Besancenot - Technical Director
Thevintage2016inLanguedoc-Roussillon-Caraguilhes
A dry and mild winter, a cool and wet spring, then 4 months without a
drop of rain from 14 May to 14 September, this is what characterises 2016
to a great extent.
A cold spring is never good for the life of the soil, which must return
elements to the vine. The vine therefore started with some deficiencies
depending on the parcel, because the soils did not warm up quickly
enough. It was partly for this reason that we saw very poor fruit set for
the Grenache and therefore a very small crop for this variety.
The other varieties found a balance during the spring and as from early
June, with warmth that was beneficial to the development of the vine.
We then went through a very dry period and each vine showed its incredible
resistance to a lack of water. There we saw the reality of the Boutenac
terroir, which is characterised by what we call a Miocene molasse, a clay
matrix that works like a sponge, returning water in moderation to the
plants during the summer.
In the meantime, we have been studying biodynamics and three plots
have been subject to the precepts of Rudolf Steiner: the plateau Syrah,
the forge carignan and the valley syrah. We are increasing the areas this
year but are still in the observation phase, before being fully convinced.
In parallel, we are working in the cellar to limit the use of sulphites as
much as possible. This year, no grape was sulphited on entering the cellar.
Their excellent state of health allowed us to do this. The goal is to control
the use of sulphites as much as possible in the wines. We are already
seeing low doses in our bottled wines (the Classique 2014 is not more
than 35mg/L of total SO2)
35

http://www.caraguilhes.fr
Thevintage2016inLanguedoc-Roussillon-Caraguilhes
2016 remains a late vintage. We had similar harvest dates to 2013 with
the syrah that we started to pick at the beginning of October. But better
than 2013, the state of health was perfect this year, and the choice of
picking date depended only on the ripening of the grapes. The syrah and
carignan offer very good expression of freshness and depth. The whites,
often more sensitive to strong heat and periods of drought, offer nice
Mediterranean smoothness while keeping a real freshness that we look
for to give balance.
It is therefore another different vintage. We haven’t known such a season
since our arrival in 2007. 2016 has its own personality, as did 2015, 2014
and 2013 in their very different ways. The vintage effect is felt more and
more in the Corbières...
February 2017
36

The 2016 Vintage in the Bourgogne wine region :
A pleasant surprise !
The people of the Bourgogne wine region like a story with a happy ending.
The wines of the 2016 vintage have granted this wish, exhibiting a quality
that was quite unexpected given the difficult start to the year. Climate
events in the spring took a severe toll on the harvest, which will no doubt
be among the smallest of the past two decades. Fortunately, this has not
stopped producers making wines that will fully live up to the expectations
of lovers of Bourgogne.
One night of frost
The night of 26-27 April 2016 will remain etched in the memory of all
those who live in the Bourgogne region. It brought an historic late frost,
when the first leaves had already emerged. While some areas are used
to this kind of phenomenon, its territorial spread was exceptional. A few
days beforehand, a violent hail storm struck the south of the wine region.
And on 27 May, a further episode of hail swept the Mâconnais and the
north of Bourgogne.
A significant proportion of the future harvest was at risk. While everyone
strived to preserve those bunches that had been spared and nurture the
vines, no one could imagine how this vintage might end up.
From one extreme to another
On the summer solstice of 21 June, things turned radically around. After
a particularly cold and wet spring, sun and warmth now took over. This
sudden change allowed the vines to recover some strength. They made
up for the lateness of the start of the growth cycle.
After an excess of water, some places were now experiencing drought,
fortunately eased by some welcome rain in September, which allowed
the fruit to ripen in very good conditions. This continued until the end
of October, giving each plot the opportunity to be picked at the ideal
moment.
The harvests began on 20 September and stretched over one month.
37

In the end, a vintage of quality
The harvested grapes were in tip-top condition, ripe and delicious. Another
pleasant surprise was that the vines had made the most of the summer to
send out new growth, this abundant vegetation offering good prospects
for the 2017 vintage.
The region’s vineyards nonetheless presented two contrasting sides:
either very little or no harvest on the plots hit by hail or frost; or nice yields
in those sectors that were spared.
In the course of vinification, the qualitative potential was soon confirmed,
with lovely balance, which will give the wines elegance, finesse and
structure, for both reds and whites. This constitutes the unexpected
signature of this vintage.
In 2016, more than ever, each winemaker has left his own mark on his
wines, which reflects the unfolding of this unique vintage.
White wines
Upon tasting, these wines present the tension characteristic of white
Bourgognes. There’s already nice substance, which should express itself
fully once malolactic fermentation is complete. The aromatic palette
includes white-fleshed fruit, which should become enriched during ageing.
Red wines
A deep yet dazzling red, the colors are surprisingly intense, revealing what
the still-shy bouquet does not yet suggest: these are going to be wines
that give pleasure. In the mouth they are fresh and soft, confirming this
first impression, and underscored by nice breadth. It will take a few more
months before we can discover the full personality of these wines.
Full press release, here
November 2016
http://www.vins-bourgogne.com 38

Maison Louis Jadot
Bourgogne
Frédéric Barnier - Technical Director
Thevintage2016inBourgogne-LouisJadot
Winter 2016 was late with some of the coldest temperatures in February
and March. It was rather wet compared to normal. At the beginning of
April came the first signs of the reawakening of the vine, which would
classify the vintage as relatively early and very similar to 2015.
This start of spring was quite mild with regular rain, then it was colder
during April. In the last week of April, a cold wave from the North Pole
penetrated to the heart of our vineyards. A late frost, which depending on
the area took the first buds in the early morning of 27 April with very high
humidity in the air (-4°C in the Yonne but only -1/-2°C in the Côte d’Or,
sufficient to destroy a very large percentage of the buds). What wasn’t
taken by the frost was destroyed by the magnifying effect of the sun,
which unfortunately was shining that morning...
Beaujolais and the Mâconnais were largely spared (except for some vines
in the north of the Mâconnais) but the damage was heavy in the Côte d’Or
from Marsannay to Rully, passing through Chambolle and Savigny and in
the Chablis region (around the town in particular).
April, May and June saw numerous disruptions and temperatures general-
ly below seasonal norms. The vegetation stagnated and the frozen vines
remained silent for the moment.
Hail fell on 13 April in the Chablis region (north) and the Saône et Loire
(Pouilly, Fuissé, Saint-Vérand). On 13 May then 27 May in the Mâconnais
(Vergisson, Prissé) and Beaujolais (Romanèche, Chapelle de Guinchay) and
also affecting parts of Chablis (Préhy, Courgis).
On 24 June in Beaujolais again and mid-July in Chassagne and the Côte
Chalonnaise (south).
It was a very complicated start to the season with unprecedented pressure
from mildew in the context of vines weakened by the climatic incidents.
July did however see the arrival of much more clement weather. Finally,
temperatures were above normal for July, August and September. The
first reaction of the plant was to push hard and strongly into the soils with
their large water reserves. Our winegrowers scurried through the rows of
vines to contain them.
Flowering took place at the end of June, or start of July for the frost-af-
fected vines, now putting 2016 among the late vintages (very comparable
to 2013).
39

Véraison took place in the second part of August and some grapes
changed colour in the first days of September.
It was therefore necessary to wait and to be patient with the laden vines.
In contrast to the start of the season, there was a lack of water at the
end of September because the summer had been quite dry in the Côte
d’Or (less so in Beaujolais, the Mâconnais and Chablis). The necessary rain
came on 17 and 18 September and we decided to wait and make the most
of this water to let the plants resume ripening. The grapes were healthy
and seemed to hold up well.
We started the harvest on 27 September (10 days this year, 12 in 2015).
The picking conditions were excellent.
Our patience was rewarded and the level of ripeness was very interesting.
The reds are tender, with ripe and supple tannins, the colours are superb
with a deep black hue. The whites were picked with good balance and the
fermentations were lively.
February 2017
http://www.louisjadot.com/fr/
Thevintage2016inBourgogne-LouisJadot
40

Vintage 2016

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